Cover Reveal: The Blood of Englishmen
Today we’re excited to share the cover of The Blood of Englishmen, the second short story anthology published by History Through Fiction.
Scheduled for publication on March 3, 2026, The Blood of Englishmen brings together the winning stories from our most recent History Through Fiction Short Story Contest. These stories represent months of reading, discussion, feedback, and deliberation—and the culmination of a long, careful process designed to support serious historical storytellers.
Our Second Anthology
Last March, we published our first short story anthology, An End of Troubles, which introduced History Through Fiction’s commitment to historical short fiction. The Blood of Englishmen builds on that foundation, expanding both the historical scope and the range of voices represented in the collection.
The stories span continents and centuries and explore moments of crisis, belief, survival, ambition, and transformation. From war and natural disaster to family, faith, art, and endurance, each piece offers a distinct lens on the past and demonstrates the power of short fiction to make history immediate and human.
The cover of The Blood of Englishmen
About the Contest
The History Through Fiction Short Story Contest is an intentionally rigorous and time-intensive process. Submissions are read carefully—often more than once—with close attention to craft, historical grounding, and emotional impact. Every entrant receives feedback, and the final selections are made with an eye not only to individual excellence, but to how the stories speak to one another as a collection.
The Blood of Englishmen represents the final stage of that work: bringing these stories together in a single volume and sharing them with readers.
About the Cover
The cover for The Blood of Englishmen was designed by Steph Ross, and we’re especially proud to note that this is Steph’s first-ever book cover design. Working in collaboration with the History Through Fiction team, Steph created a cover that reflects the anthology’s historical breadth while giving the collection a clear and cohesive visual identity.
We’re grateful for her work and thrilled to feature her design on our second anthology.
Contents
The Blood of Englishmen features the following prize-winning stories:
“San Francisco Is Buckled, San Francisco Is Burning” by Rachel Henderson
“Lucky” by Zena Ryder
“Body #311” by Christopher DeWitt
“The Violinist” by Ezra Harker Shaw
“The Blood of Englishmen” by Cecil Beckett
“No Shelter” by Nicole M. Babb
“The Presbyterian Settee” by Rob Hardy
“The God of Sight” by Morgan Want
“The Bright Leaf Legacy” by Jacqueline Van Hoewyk
“Diary of an Empire” by Shay Galloway
Pre-Orders Are Open
The Blood of Englishmen is now available for pre-order through the History Through Fiction store. Orders will be fulfilled on March 3, 2026, the official publication date.
We’re proud of the work behind this anthology and grateful to the writers, readers, judges, and designers who helped bring it into being. We look forward to sharing it with you.
Join Us for the Virtual Launch Celebration
To mark the publication of The Blood of Englishmen, we’re hosting a live virtual launch celebration and reading on publication day.
The Blood of Englishmen: Virtual Launch Celebration & Reading
📅 March 3, 2026
🕑 1:00–2:00 PM Central
📍 Online | Free to Attend
This one-hour event will feature live readings from the anthology’s authors, brief Q&A discussions following each reading, and an open audience conversation about historical short fiction, hidden histories, and the craft of bringing the past to life in compressed form.
Together, these readings highlight the range and ambition of the collection—stories that span continents and centuries while illuminating moments of resilience, belief, catastrophe, and quiet transformation.
Event highlights include:
Live readings from featured anthology authors
Mini Q&A following each reading
Open audience Q&A
A celebration of historical storytelling
Announcement of the Fourth Annual History Through Fiction Short Story Contest
(June 15–August 15, 2026)
The event is free to attend, and registered attendees are invited to support the authors and History Through Fiction by pre-ordering the anthology directly from our online store.
🎉 Registered attendees receive 20% off the anthology
Use code ANTHOLOGY
👉 https://www.historythroughfiction.com/store/p/the-blood-of-englishmen-paperback
👉 Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-blood-of-englishmen-virtual-launch-celebration-reading-tickets-1980750240289?aff=oddtdtcreator
We hope you’ll join us to celebrate these stories, these writers, and the power of short historical fiction to make the past vivid, urgent, and human.
